Workmen's advocate., 1887-05-07
A GOV ERN M ENT JOB
A ClGARMAkER'S COOPER
 ATlVE SCHEME.
No Strikes-No Revenue But Plenty Of Good Cigars The Cigarmak- CTS Union as Il C0.Opera.
 tive Producer-Mil,
 lions Wanted.

Nohe ol our friends, m trying to solve the question of cooperation on small scale, appear like the Greek King, Sysiphus, who was doomed by the gods to roll q stone up mountain side, which would invari- ably roll back to the starting point, whenever Sysiphus reached the top.
 To show the full extent of the un- dcrtaklng, and ut the same time point out way in which co.oper- tlon might be successful under pres ent circumstances, will give few figures to outline the scheme. Sup pose, for instance, the United States Congress, instead of squandering the peoples money for the benefit of iron and steel monopolics, railroad corporations and an army of hungry politicians; suppose thls same Con- gross would take D fit of decency and vote loan of seventy-fve million dollars to the Cigarmakers' Interna- tional Union of America, for the purpose of putting the whole cigar manufacturing industry on CO., operative basis, This loan to be refunded at ten per cent. interest within fifteen years. What an inn mense benefit this would be for the 5o0,ooo people dependent for a liv- ing upon this industry; while it would mjure no one. How could this be done? Simply enough For instance: The Cigarmakers' h. ternatonal Union of America would call a special convention, and select, say, five suitable places, or as near as possible to the cities of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Richmond and Key West, so as to have good shipping connections. Here we would erect and equip gigantic fac tories Ill the most practical style, and for q working capacity of about 65, GOO clgarmakers, G,000 packers, 20, 900 shippers, 1000 clerks, and 800 forcmen. Taking it fer granted that the average work of cigar maker is l,?oo cigars per week, that would give us productive ca pacity of 4,o56, ,oo0, ,o00 cigars per year. Taking it also for granted that the proportions of consumption are 2,50O,0 ,000, GOO fve-cent cigars and l,550, ,0O0, ,000 ten-cent cigars then it would require about GO, ,000,- 900 pounds of seed tobacco and
 ", 344, 900 pounds of Havana tobac- co for one years production. Sup posing seed tobacco cost at an aver age fifteen cents per pound and Havana tobacco (minus duty) fifty cents per pound, it would require s21, ,G12,0O0 to purchase for one years use. Cigar boxes, ribbons, etc., would hardly cost more than $5, 39S, GOO per year. A wage guar antee fund for at least six months would be necessary, which would amour, to s32, ,O0O, ,00O All these items which are certainly liberal allowances, amour. to sij, ,000,000, our stock capital. Wages, of course, should in the beginning be some. what adapted to our present mode In order to regulate affairs better in the new enterprise. The workmen being their own bosses would soon enough raise their pay, whenever favorable prospects would warrant an increase. To form an estimate, wages might be classified, on an average, as follows:
 Woodwork, $l2 per 1000; EIand-work, Sl5; Packers, S2O per week; Shippers. slO; Foremen, S25; Clerks, S2O.
 This would make our annual pay roll amount to:
 For Woodwork rk............S3 S30, GOO, 900 For Hand work k........... 23,340, 900 For Packers. ................ 6,240, 900 For Shippers. ................ l0, 400, 900 For Foremen. .............. 650,000 For Clerks - 01O 0O0